WILDFLOWERS AT HOME ( part 8 )

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COMMON YARROW

Feathery leaves, slightly hairy stems, and little clusters of white flowers top off the yarrow plant.  Yarrow flowers appear in mid to late June and can be found all around the pond in full sunlight.  They are present at the same time as the ox-eye daisy flower.

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WHORLED LOOSESTRIFE

These tiny flowers have five petals.  This loosestrife can have more than four leaves per each section.  It is found in June and throughout the summer and likes full sun.  It can be found along the driveway near the May apples and around the pond on the dike.  

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ASHLEAF GOLD BANNER

This flower grows on the dike and begins blooming in June.  It lasts all summer and is scattered along the dike growing in full sunlight.  It has a creeping appearance, somewhat vine like, with bright yellow flowers close to the ground.

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YELLOW TREFOIL or HOP CLOVER, WHITE CLOVER

Here are two kinds of clover that grow along the driveway, on the dike, and in the yard (white clover).  Clover is prevalent and lasts throughout the summer.  Bees like them!  Pink clover is also common.  As a child, I often picked the pink and white clover for rabbit food when I had pet rabbits.

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SLENDER YELLOW WOOD SORREL

Yellow wood sorrel is very common in our yard and garden.  It lasts all summer and is a small spreading plant.  My father said when young his family would eat the sorrel as a green quite often, and he liked it.

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WILD BLUEBERRY BLOSSOMS

Blossoms on blueberry plants appear in May and by the second week of July the berries are ripe and ready to be picked.  They can be found in the woods and around the pond, but those in the woods, with lots of shade, don’t produce many berries if any at all.  In spring the blossoms sometimes freeze and this ruins the crop as well.  

I like to take a cup and walk around the outer dike of the pond and pick enough to make a fresh meal of blueberry pancakes.  In 2013, I did this very thing on the 11^th of July.

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WHITE LILY PAD

In late June or early July the white flowered lily pads make their show.  They are both in the outer and inner pond.  I like the way they open up during the day and close up in the evenings.  If picked and placed in a bowl vase, they will do the same thing indoors and will last for several days.

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PARTRIDGE BERRY

Blossoms of the partridge berry appear in late June or early July.  These were found growing in my moss garden.  They later have small bright red berries, about the size of wintergreen berries.  The berries can be eaten but they have little flavor to them.  You can also find them on the south 20 acres across Tom’s Creek.  They love shade.

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SMART WEED

This flower/weed appears in July on the dike, and in the fruit loop.  It looks like pink beads adorning a thin stem.  

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ELDERBERRY BLOSSOMS

One big patch of elderberry plants adorns the inner pond dike near the asparagus, raspberry patch.  The birds often harvest the berries in a very short time as soon as they ripen to a very deep purple color.  

My mother once made elderberry jam when I was very young.  I remember seeing the cooked elderberries wrapped in cheesecloth draining over a large kettle filled with purple juice.

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THOUGHTS ON HEAVEN

It’s a better world than this one.

A life without sadness or tears,

A chance to be forever with God

In a place without any fears.

I ponder so much about heaven

After death as a place filled with hope,

Or is it just a dreamed up plan

And a way for us all to cope?

To suffer the death of a loved one

Is the hardest thing we can do

We long for their touch

And miss them so much

                               Without heaven what would we do

WILDFLOWERS AT HOME ( part 7 )

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BUNCH BERRY

In June the bunch berry leaves make their appearance and soon the large white blossom follows.  This plant loves shade and grows in the woods south of the barn and all the way toward Tom’s Creek.  It sports a cluster of bright red berries later in the season which can be eaten but I have never tried them.  

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YELLOW POND LILY

This lily adds beauty to our pond and gives the dragonflies a place to rest.  When we had our pond built in 1988 we introduced some lily pads, along with some unwanted pond weeds.  The lily pads have been here ever since, and love the inner pond, especially when it holds enough water to support them.

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BLUE EYED GRASS

Another of my favorite wild flowers, blue eyed grass blooms in early June and grows along the edge of the driveway in full sunlight.  It has just one stem, not much for leaves.  The tiny flower emerges from what looks like a single blade of grass.  It is short lived and closes up on cloudy days and at night time.  My brother, Vern, introduced me to this flower when I was a kid.

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PURPLE IRIS

Purple iris love wet feet.  They can be found along the pond bank and also along Tom’s Creek.  The flowers themselves are short lived.  They are welcomed by bees and butterflies and are very beautiful.  Darker purple, white and yellow iris on the dike are domestic and came from bulbs that Tom planted from his Aunt Lydia.

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OX-EYE DAISY

This daisy is a very common flower, often adorning whole fields along with Indian paintbrush.  It grows in full sunlight on the pond dike and along the driveway.  The flower center has a not so pleasant sour smell to it.  This is the flower of my childhood in which we pulled off each petal, one at a time, chanting, “He loves me, he loves me not”, and how it ended up was the correct answer.

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DOUBLE PETAL DAISY

This little daisy type flowers grow in clusters and was spotted on the dike in full sun near the bulkhead.  Its petals are distinct because they come out in sets of two, with ten petals total.  They begin to appear in mid-June.

This was the only flower I could not identify.  Perhaps you can.  They fascinated me with their five sets of double petals, so I’ve called them double petal daisies.

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WILD ROSES

On a sunny river bank,

Grows a patch of wild roses.

Their beauty sings a tune while

Their sweetness fills our noses.

Pink with yellow centers,

Bugs and bumble bees alit,

While the water keeps on flowing

And the roses follow it.

The river and the roses

They’re together, ne’er apart.

Always there in every season

In my mind or in my heart.

WILDFLOWERS AT HOME ( part 6 )

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MAY APPLE

These plants begin to emerge in early May and as they grow tall in large groups they look majestic when lining the driveway on both sides before you come to the garage.  In early June they blossom and soon have “apples” hanging where the flowers once were.  If you are lucky enough to gather a ripe “apple” before the deer find them, you can eat them, but don’t eat the leaves.  

At the edges of farm fields May apple greens are sometimes eaten by cows and it is said they cause milk production to drop.    

                                              PINK LADY-SLIPPER

In the spring of 2013, our pink lady-slippers failed to bloom.  The photo above is from 2007.  I waited in vain for a photo opportunity this past spring; I am not sure why they did not bloom.  The leaves, two per plant, appeared healthy and lasted all summer. With a bit of luck we’ll see them bloom again in 2014.  

These lady-slippers have come up underneath a spruce tree near the pond for many years.  I believe they sprouted from bird droppings.  I have found no others on our property but they are quite numerous near Saddle Mound.

Yellow Hawkweed

This wild flower, or weed, appears about the same time as the Indian paint brush and is closely related.  It has the same hairy stem but fewer or smaller leaves at the base of the plant.  Yellow Hawkweed, stands much taller than the paintbrush and is also found on the dike.  It grows in full sunlight and lasts through June and July.  

                                              COMMON CINQUEFOIL

This yellow flower is widespread, weed-like, and grows on the dike and along the driveway.  It is low to the ground and spreads easily.  It appears in early June and lasts throughout the summer.

CANADA MAYFLOWER

This delicate little white flower appears in May and early June.  It shows up in the yard in the shady areas, on the shady side of the garage, and in the woods south of the barn.   It is a member of the lily family.

Another similar wild flower has a white “ball” of flowers and grows in similar places.

INDIAN PAINT BRUSH

The Indian paint brush is a very common flower of my childhood and can be found in the sunnier areas of the yard and especially on the dike and along the driveway edges.  It has a hairy stem, low leaves, and also has a strong, yet pleasant, odor.  The swallowtail butterfly loves the paintbrush.  I took this photo on the dike by the bulkhead.

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I DON’T WANT TO LEAVE

That’s what you said when you went away.

I cried a million tears that day.

I couldn’t believe you’d really go,

And when you left, I missed you so.

But here I am and you’re still gone.

Your memory never leaves me long.

I think of you each day and night

I miss you in the dark and light

Why you left I’ll never know

Or why you wanted to hurt me so.

So here I am and there you are,

And on we go, we’re miles apart.

Life’s not the same without you here,

I suffer through each a day, each year.

And still keep missing your smile, your face.

You’re one I know I’ll never replace.

WILDFLOWERS AT HOME ( part 5 )

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TRILLIUM

The trillium flower is disappearing in our woods.  In 1980 they were more abundant on the edges of our yard in the shady places.  Now you can only find them in the garden by the fencing (where they are protected) and see just a few here and there under the shade of the large spruce trees.  

I think the abundance of deer has been this flowers downfall in Sherwood in the last several years.  As a child I was told not to pick them and that it was against the law to do so.

WILD LEEK

Although it doesn’t have a flower, this plant is very aromatic, with a smell like onion and garlic.  Our small patch of leek was transplanted years ago from the end of Todd Road near the East Fork of the Black River.  Hopefully it will continue to spread so that we are not afraid to harvest some to season our meals!  

If you accidentally step on it you will smell an oniony odor in the air.  The bulbs can also be harvested and chopped up like garlic cloves to season or make soup with.

PUSSYTOES

These flowers bloom from May until July.  They grow out in the open, in full sun, and this photo was taken on the dike.  The fuzzy flower heads resemble cat paws and that is how they got their name.

SOLOMON’S SEAL

Solomon’s Seal comes up in May.  This plant is a volunteer and showed up on the backside of the house by the bathroom wall.  You can find this wild flower in the woods as well.   While we were gone to Maine for a week’s vacation this year the deer came right up beside the house and ate most of them off.

STARFLOWER

This short tiny flower loves shady mossy areas of the yard and in fact this shot was taken in my moss garden.  Its delicate petals make it special.  The starflower appears in May and its blossom is somewhat short lived.   In a week’s time it could be missed.  The leaves will linger but the little white flower is quick to disappear.

JACK-in-the-PULPIT

This photo was taken under the large spruce tree east of the old cabin.  It was probably introduced by bird droppings as some of the other wild flowers were most likely brought into our yard that way too, especially those under the trees.  Jack-in-the-Pulpit love full shade.  When conditions are right they can get quite tall.  This is another one of my favorite wild flowers.  It can be found from May into June and also grows in the woods.

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TIDY UP

We sweep the floor and someone tracks in,

We mow the grass and it rains and it grows.

We wash the dishes and start cooking again,

We wash the car and we’re led down a dirt road.

So why bother with chores, why hurry and fuss.

It shouldn’t matter anyway, just let it all go.

But the neighbors will complain, they’ll think you’re strange

Who cares, just let things pile up, let the grass grow.

The reason we tidy up, scrub, and push the mower

Is based on our mental state, if we give a damn

And the time when those chores are all caught up,

Is the sweet time we savor and long for again.